Such a Strange Love
by theBabewiththePower
Summary: JS. Vaguely resembles the story of Hades and Persephone, with a few Labyrinthesque twists. Jareth has a deal to make with Sarah, and he won't be taking no for an answer. Will he get more than he bargained for? Chapters will be filling LiveJournal prompts when possible. Enjoy.
1. Orange, Boomerang, and Hobby Horse

**Don't worry about Mischief and Magic, I'm not neglecting it, this is just my 'story on the side', so to speak….**

**This one is inspired by Lost Coast Brewery's Tangerine Wheat Ale and by Jalen Strix, who cheered me on to do this despite my better judgement and irrational fear of hobby horses….**

**Thanks to 3iggy for being my awesome beta!**

* * *

It was Toby's 5th birthday.

Sarah perused the toy aisles with single-minded determination, she would settle for nothing less than the _best_ birthday present _ever_. No other little brother would ever feel as valued as hers, no other would have such fierce consideration and guilt-induced devotion put into their gift selection. She would be the best big sister in the whole world, she would get him exactly what he wanted, no matter what anybody else, not even Karen, thought of it. Finally finding the perfect gift, Sarah checked out and made her way to her old house, grinning in anticipation of his reaction and arriving just in time for the party to start. She jumped out of her car and ran up the front steps, never noticing the rather conspicuous barn owl watching her from a nearby tree.

Toby galloped through the foyer on his hobby horse like a modern day incarnation of Billy the Kid, yah-ing and whoa-ing like he was born into his outlaw ways. He turned sharply, the wooden stick part of his hobby horse smacking smartly against his father's shins before he pulled the reins, appraising Sarah as one would a stranger in a shady bar. It had been a while since she had last visited, and he was clearly going to hold it against her.

"Toby, what did I _tell_ you about running in the house, oh, Robert _dear_, are you alright?" Karen came running in from the living room at her husband's yelp and immediately began chastising the boy, sparing her stepdaughter a quick glance and a brief nod of acknowledgement.

Sarah winked at Toby and slipped into the empty kitchen, where she was soon joined by a galloping but still hesitant Toby. "Happy Birthday, buddy. Are you having a good day?"

Toby shrugged and looked at the floor, fiddling with his toy horse's ears. "It's all right. All my friends are here, and mom made me a Ninja Turtle cake!" He cheered up a bit as he recounted his day so far. "Did you bring me a present?" He looked up hopefully.

Sarah pulled the extra large bag out from behind her back as a devious smirk spread across her face. "I did. In fact, I got you exactly what you wished for-"

"But mom said I couldn't-" Toby started excitedly.

"-Yes, and I am probably going to be in loads of trouble with her over this, but _my_ little brother deserves to have his dream present." She handed him the bag and watched as he squealed and tore away the wrappings, revealing a three foot long solid wood authentic Australian boomerang, complete with engraved tribal markings and an instructional booklet.

"Thank you, Sarah!"

He beamed at her with brilliant adoration, like she was the best sister in the whole world. The kind that always gave their brothers whatever they wanted, and never wished them away to goblins. Sarah smiled back and ruffled his hair, following along as he dashed past his parents in the foyer and into the room where his fellow kindergarteners were playing.

"_Sarah!_" Karen screeched after seeing what her baby boy held, but she was soon drowned out by the enthusiastic squeals of little boys who had been presented with a weapon of such major coolness.

* * *

When the party was over, and Sarah had convinced Karen to let Toby keep the boomerang as long as he only used it in the park, Sarah drove back to her little apartment over in the next town.

The owl followed her at a distance.

Sarah pulled up to her apartment and waltzed into the house, throwing her bag and keys on the coffee table and flopping on the sofa, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. Her roommate was out, and the flat was eerily quiet. Sarah turned up the volume, trying to drown out the silence. She couldn't stand emptiness, it gave her imagination too much room to breathe, she would begin to conjure all sorts of fantastic and terrible things, like monsters and thieves, thunderstorms and owls…

She clicked off the television and stood up abruptly, suddenly tense and alert. The sky outside was black and stormy, though she could have sworn that it was sunny and clear not five minutes ago. And that flash of white that went past the window….

No, it couldn't have been, even if it had been an owl that didn't mean it was _him._ That would be absurd, she reasoned. She forced herself to sit down and think about mundane things like work and bills, but her valiant attempt at being logical was blown to bits as her front door slammed open, letting in a flurry of leaves and wind and good Lord she must be dreaming….

The Goblin King sauntered casually into the dark apartment amidst a torrent of debris and glitter, his wild hair and dark cape whipping about him dramatically. His eyes never left her as he made his way across the room, a calm smirk letting her know that whatever madness was currently unfolding, he was in perfect control of it.

She stood and squared her shoulders, facing him bravely, whatever this bizarre encounter was, she had no intention of showing fear or running away, this _was_ her turf, after all.

He stopped a few feet away from her, still smirking as he measured her, measured his words. Best to just be straightforward, he decided. Humans liked that.

"Hello Sarah. I've come to take you away, to take you back to the Underground."

Sarah gawked for a moment, temporarily struck dumb. "Like hell you are!" She glared at him, what did he think he was doing, he had no power here! She told him just that. "You have no power over me!"

The Goblin King's gaze grew cold and the smirk turned into a slight baring of sharp teeth. "You can come willingly, or not…." His voice was icy and flat, leaving no room for argument. Sarah shivered and tried to rally her courage, those words had been her safety net, now what was she to do?

Her voice took on a slightly hysterical note."You have no right, Goblin King. I'm not going anywhere with you. I have a life here, this is complete madness, I want you to leave, now!" She edged discretely over towards her lamp, it wouldn't do much damage, but maybe if she threw it at just the right moment, she could get to the door….

He gazed at the beautiful, defiant young woman in front of him with hooded eyes. For years he had waited for her to call him, but she had stubbornly moved on with her life, as if she truly thought she could forget about _him_, forget about all of them. He could have come for her at anytime, taken her away, but he had waited patiently, letting her grow and mature, waiting, watching, wanting. Even now, he was giving her a choice. In his opinion, he was being more than generous. But enough was enough. He was tired of waiting. He waved his hand, turning the lamp into a wicker basket full of oranges.

Sarah froze.

"Legally I would be within my rights to take you-"

"According to whose laws?"

"Mine, of course-"

"Oh, how terribly _convenient_-"

"-and yet, I offer you a choice,"

"Yes, you are the very _picture_ of generosity-"

"-I am glad you agree, precious-"

"Don't call me that."

"Very well, Goblin Queen, then."

"Definitely don't call me that!" Her eyes widened in shock and her face blanched. What was he playing at?

"Oh, but it's true, you beat the Labyrinth, did you not?"

"And you as well, in case you forgot." She quipped saucily.

Jareth chose to ignore that. "Eating the Labyrinth's fruit made you belong to the Underground, to the Labyrinth, to _me_," His grin was a wicked thing, full of pointy teeth and dark promises. "-but when you beat the Labyrinth, you became its Queen. That is the way things work, my dear."

His smug smirk made her blood boil.

"According to you. You, who is probably making this up as he goes along."

His expression became stormy and menacing. "Excuses, excuses. Do they comfort you, Sarah? Does it make you feel safe, to deceive yourself and dismiss my words?"

His overwhelming presence filled the air with dangerous desires and sensual promises, reminding Sarah of how he had looked in the tunnels, right before he set the cleaners on her. Thunder boomed against the window and lightning flashed, and suddenly they were in the throne room in the castle beyond the goblin city.

"Take me back now!" Sarah yelled in a panicked voice.

"_No_. I may return you eventually, but you _will_ stay here for a time and fulfil your duties as Goblin Queen. You have been delinquent far too long, and we will not abide it." His voice was velvet and daggers, his words affirmed by the mob of eager, cackling goblins pressing in on all sides.

She paled even more, he didn't mean what she thought he did, did he? "I will find a way back, you can't keep me here against my will! I got away once before, I _will _do it again!"

His voice took on a mocking quality. "I don't doubt that in the least, precious, I would expect no less from you. However, even with the best of teachers, learning to transport between worlds takes decades to master. And I am the only one in the entire Underground who is able to transport others as well as myself. So go ahead, start planning your heroic escape, I'll even show you where the library is and what books you'll need. By the time you manage it however, everyone you know in your world would be dead and gone. Make a deal with me, and you can have it all. Make a deal with me, and your family never need wonder about your fate."

Sarah was beginning to see that she was low on options. "What kind of deal?" She glared at him suspiciously.

"Promise to live here in the castle as the Goblin Queen for at least three months of every year, and I will promise to return you to the Aboveground whenever you should wish, provided at least one month has passed here. Your family will believe that you have found lucrative work overseas, and I will smooth over any complications that arise from your absences."

That just sounded too good to be true. "What exactly does being the Goblin Queen entail?" She dreaded the answer, but it had to be asked, better to get it out in the open sooner rather than later. She blushed and avoided his gaze, crossing her arms and trying desperately to think of a third option, some kind of loophole that would allow her to regain control of this situation.

He put his hands on his hips, stance wide and head cocked in a bird-of-prey like fashion, smirking at her knowingly. The words that rolled off his tongue were drenched with dark amusement. "Rule the Goblins; care for them, care for the Labyrinth and any runners or wished away that come along. Not to worry darling, it'll be _a piece of cake_." He quipped smugly.

_Why, that arrogant_…."That's all?" She asked suspiciously.

He raised his eyebrows suggestively and leered at her. "Unless you require _more_…"

"Hmmf." She huffed indignantly, crossing her arms and looking away pointedly.

Honestly, though, it wasn't a bad deal.

"How do I know I can trust you to keep your word?" She asked with a hard glare. She refused to be intimidated by him again. Or seduced, for that matter.

His expression gave nothing away. "I will bind my word on the same thing that binds you to me, the fruit of the Underground. Should I break my promise in any way, you will no longer be bound to me. I will then, truly, have no power over you."

Sarah considered his words carefully, then, with a somewhat forced nonchalance, nodded in agreement.

His eyes lit up and he grinned a hungry grin, conjuring a peach from thin air and sauntering over, closing the distance between them.

"No peaches!" Sarah blurted out. That was just too much on top of everything else. She didn't need any reminders of how he had once tempted her.

The Goblin King rolled his eyes and threw the peach up into the air, only to catch an entirely different fruit. "Happy?"

Sarah blinked, bemused. "An orange?" She had figured he would pick something symbolic, like an apple or a pomegranate. Citrus fruits had no menacing connotations.

The Goblin King eyed the rather anti-climactic fruit with tangible disdain before rallying, spinning the orange over his talented fingers as he fixed her with a sultry stare. Snapping his wrist, he caught the fruit in his leather grasp and began to peel, never breaking eye contact with her. He took deliberately slow, measured steps towards her, peeling as he went, stopping in front of her and taking a juicy bite before offering the rest to her.

Sarah stared, nonplussed. "What, am I supposed to take a bite too? How does eating an orange create a magical pact?" She asked, confused.

Jareth sighed. "Because it's a _magic_ orange, now are you going to seal the deal or would you prefer to take a tour of the dungeons?" He snapped, muttering to himself, "This is why I use peaches. No one ever questions peaches."

Sarah grabbed the orange and took a bite, holding his gaze defiantly. As soon as she swallowed, the orange glowed and then dissipated, leaving them both feeling tingly for a moment. Magic orange indeed.

Satisfied that all had gone according to plan (more or less), the Goblin King snapped his fingers, summoning a suitcase and transforming his clothes into Aboveground casualwear. Sarah blinked in confusion.

"Where are you going?"

"On vacation. It's been a few centuries, I deserve one."

"You can't just leave! You're the Goblin King!"

"Yes, and you are the Goblin Queen. I wouldn't leave you here if I didn't think you capable. See you in a month, precious." The Goblin King gave her a cheeky wink as he faded away into nothing, leaving Sarah thunderstruck in a throne room full of goblins.

It took nearly 15 minutes for the goblins to get the Queen's attention. After the King had left, she had just stood there in open-mouthed shock, deaf and blind to her surroundings and unable to comprehend the reality of what had just happened.

Slowly coming back to herself, she blinked and took a deep breath, looking around at her new subjects. She wrinkled her nose and sniffed the air. "Right, so, first things first. Have any of you ever had a bath before?"

The goblins smiles fell and their hopeful expressions turned to ash as they realized that this new monarch was far crueler than she looked.

* * *

**Author's notes: **

**If there was a way to kidnap someone romantically, this is how I would imagine it. A kingdom in recompense and plenty of PTO. Besides, infuriating Jareth is my favorite. **

**Why have him go on vacation, you ask? Well, for one, my inhibitions were lessened, and it seemed a grand idea at the time. More importantly though, it gives Sarah an opportunity to find her groove and get used to everything without him around to distract her.**

**Why did I just subject you to this? Well, the Labyfic LiveJournal prompt called for a story involving a hobby horse, a boomerang, and an orange. I did the best I could. Thoughts, questions, exclamations of bewilderment? I am almost afraid to ask, but please let me know whatcha think. This will be continued.**


	2. A Woman's Touch

It had been three weeks.

Sarah marched down the halls with purpose, heading for the throne room where her newly appointed advisor Munk would be waiting for the day's instructions. After Jareth had left, Sarah had been quick to recruit some of the more intelligent goblins, giving them some measure of authority, to keep her from becoming overwhelmed. Jareth had left her with a filthy castle full of drunk and disorderly goblins, and Sarah had been working tirelessly just to get it all cleaned up. The first thing she had done was confiscate all the ale, telling the goblins they could only have it back after everything was clean. Today she had gotten up early and done an inspection of the castle and the goblin city, and her subjects would soon find out if they had done a good enough job to get back their drink.

She entered the throne room, striding confidently towards her throne, smiling kindly at her sober and subdued subjects. When she had first decreed that the ale be taken, the goblins had wailed and mourned for hours, crying and begging for her to change her mind. Sarah had almost caved, but the ever-present stench had helped her keep her resolve. This was for their own good, after all.

Munk scurried up to her as she sat down, ready with her coffee and a smile full of pointy yellow teeth. Sarah had been thrilled when she learned that the castle's kitchen kept the magical beans in stock, thank God for small mercies.

"Queen haz coffee!" Munk declared. "Now I's tell queen abouts day's bizniz."

Sarah nodded for him to continue, sipping on her drink. Munk knew her routine, no mayhem or chaos until she had her coffee. He was her favorite so far, unlike her other advisors, Munk hadn't once tried to light her on fire. Yet.

The penguin-shaped brown goblin with long, pointy ears poking out of a shock of white hair drew closer, and Sarah was once again grateful that she had insisted on regular bathing routines for the goblins. She listened to him tell her about various issues from around the city and throughout the Labyrinth, the most interesting being a sudden invasion of pineapple vines that were clogging up the outer tunnels, and the most troublesome being the continued presence of an unidentified storm that had been darkening the southern horizon since before she had come. Sarah noticed the dozens of near-mutinous eyes that stayed fixed on her as Munk rattled on, and the pregnant silence that had fallen over the room. She stood suddenly, deciding that she had kept them waiting in anticipation long enough.

"I have inspected the castle and the city," She began, pausing for dramatic effect. "And I have decided-"

Dozens of goblins leaned forward, hardly daring to breath as they waited eagerly for her edict.

"-That the ale will be returned to the citizens,"

The cheers that erupted were deafening, and Sarah had to wait a few minutes before she could continue.

"_On the condition,_" She yelled above the dwindling noise, causing the tense silence to return almost immediately. "That drinking will only be allowed after sundown. Any creature that breaks this law will be on cleaning duty for a week straight."

The goblins stared in open-mouthed shock, completely thrown by this unexpected twist. Sarah got up and made her exit then, deciding that it would be best to let the dust settle without her being present.

She made her way up to the bedroom, deciding that some quiet reading would be a good way to pass the time until this evening, when she would reappear with barrels of ale and hopefully gain some popularity among her subjects. She wondered why she cared about the kingdom at all, and settled for telling herself that it was just a way to keep busy until she could go home again. She flopped down on the giant carven four poster bed, grabbing the book of goblin folk tales she had been reading the night before.

She had been mortified on her first night here, when, after getting a goblin to give her a tour, she found that the huge castle contained only one bedroom, belonging, of course, to the King. She had spent her first few nights curled up stubbornly on the leather armchair in front of the fireplace, but after a few days with a sore back and little sleep, she gave in and tried out the bed. She had been sure she would never be able to relax, that _he_ would somehow know what she was doing. However, despite the rundown state of the rest of the castle, the Goblin King kept his own quarters in a state of decadent luxury. Sarah had never felt such soft silks, heavenly feather pillows and plush furs, and she was asleep within minutes, getting the best night's sleep that she had had in years.

Another issue was the fact that she only had the one outfit, the jeans and sweater that she had been wearing when the Goblin King had brought her here. She had tried sending the goblins Above to get her some clothes, but after they had returned with first an extra large mumu, then a polka-dot bikini, and then a black leather mini skirt and tube top that she had been horrified to learn had been stolen off of someone in broad daylight, she decided that she might as well help herself to the rest of the Goblin King's belongings as well, considering that it was his fault she was in this mess, after all. She would never admit it to anyone, but his clothes weren't half bad, and they fit her well, for the most part. She kept things simple; boots, leggings, and a poet's shirt. She had to admit, the boots were quite wonderful for stomping around in, she found herself strutting down the halls on more than one occasion, and she knew she looked good in the form fitting pants.

His shirts posed a problem, however, as they were very open-chested, which was less compatible with her own anatomy that it was with his. She had fixed this problem by wearing one of his black leather waistcoats under the shirt around her chest, solving the issue of a bra and keeping her from flashing the goblins all in one.

The next weeks passed with relative ease as the goblins got used to the new routine, though Sarah found no shortage of lawbreakers to assign to cleaning duty. Determined to keep her mind off of things, she fell into a routine. She would wake, get dressed and have a light breakfast of fruit and bread, then she would hear complaints and make rulings in the throne room until lunch. After lunch, she would wander the castle, alone with her thoughts. Finally, she would deal justice for the day before the drinking started, then she would retire to the royal chambers, where she would have a long soak in the circular stone tub before having a light dinner and reading until bed.

It was the afternoon of the 39th day now, and Sarah was wandering the maze of hallways and rooms in the castle, making her way slowly but surely to the throne room. Her fingers trailed along the wall, counting the stones as she passed in an attempt to keep her thoughts from Jareth or her growing panic at his continued absence. He had said he would be back in a month. Surely he would keep his word? Had it all been some elaborate scheme to ditch his kingdom on her? Her thoughts drifted to stories she remembered from Greek mythology, how Heracles had been tricked into holding up the sky for the titan Atlas. Heracles had managed to get Atlas to take it back, would she be so lucky? The thought of being stranded here alone, for the rest of her life, never knowing, was too terrible to think about.

And so she walked, and counted the stones.

She had gotten to five thousand and forty two by the time she was in the final corridor outside the throne room. Without entering, she could tell that the goblins were particularly rowdy today, she wondered what crimes her officers had to report, the cacophony coming from around the corner was deafening. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and steeling herself for the inevitable. She opened her eyes to see sharp blue ones with different sized pupils staring back at her, twinkling merrily.

"Boo." He said.

She shrieked and jumped back, hand pressed against her pounding heart as a hundred different emotions flooded her. Once the initial surprise passed, she felt overcome with relief, he came _back_, she could hug him, kiss him! Then his greeting registered, and all the suppressed anger and fear from the past days flooded her.

She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to acknowledge him until she calmed herself a bit.

The Goblin King didn't speak, letting his eyes wander over her slowly, taking in her form in his clothes with obvious appreciation. Finally he met her eyes, smirking at her flushed face.

She still refused to speak. He decided to try again.

"Hello, my _queen_." His rich velvety tones rolled the last word over his tongue like a particularly decadent chocolate.

That made her bristle. "I may be _the_ queen, per our deal, but I'm not _your_ queen." She corrected him quickly, fists balling up at her sides. "Nice of you to finally come back."

Jareth didn't seem bothered in the least by this, his insufferable grin still plastered on his face as his eyes raked over her again.

"So, did you enjoy your little vacation? Where did you go? The Underworld? Mordor, perhaps?" Sarah asked with as much snark as she was able to summon given the state of her nerves. She was somewhat surprised that she was really getting away with speaking to him like this, she had half expected him to act all domineering and controlling, swooping in and raining despair and misery on them all. She had been dreading his return as much as she had been anticipating it, slowly driving herself mad wondering what would happen when he returned.

"I went to Soho, actually." The Goblin King said indifferently.

Sarah blinked in surprise, not sure what to say.

He rolled his eyes. "_What, _did you expect that I would have a membership at the Cinematic Villain's Resort and Spa?" He said sarcastically.

Sarah suddenly had a disturbing mental image of the Joker getting a pedicure.

She shook her head, trying to focus. "Excuse me, it is time for me to hold court." She sidestepped him and entered the throne room, needing to be in a situation she had some control over. Immediately swamped with dozens of goblins all speaking at once, Sarah managed to get them to speak one at a time, pointedly ignoring the Goblin King's presence behind her as he watched her silently from the doorway. She heard complaints and offences from the goblins, taking action where necessary and verbally smoothing over issues that didn't require royal intervention (It is entirely up to the owner's discretion whether or not chickens should be allowed at the dinner table). Mostly though, the goblins wanted to know if they could be granted a reprieve from the new drinking law to celebrate 'Kingy's comeback'. Sarah agreed, she didn't plan on being around for it anyway.

As she finished and dismissed them, she glanced back to see how he was taking all of this. Rather than looking irate as she had expected, he looked like he could care less, which only served to confuse her more.

Inwardly, the Goblin King was thrilled. He had been expecting to find her hidden away in some far corner of the castle, blockading herself from his unruly and mischievous subjects, miserable and waiting anxiously for him to return and save her. Instead, she had somehow wrangled a bit of control over the goblins and established some semblance of order, not an easy feat. Not only that, but the goblins were relatively clean, and had even been sober (thought they didn't look the least bit happy about it) and the castle looked better than it had in decades. No matter how much she denied it, she was born to be a queen, he thought. To be _his_ queen. His silent ardor was disrupted as he noticed something far less pleasing.

"What _have_ you done to my throne?" His lips curled up over sharp teeth in disgust as he took in the spectacle before him. The once-intimidating bone and rock throne now sported several plush pillows and a lilac throw. He noted in veiled horror that there appeared to be a plastic cup holder attached to one of the curved ends of the bone backrest and several flower pots on the steps.

"It was horribly uncomfortable. I can't understand how you manage to sit on that thing without any cushion." She said lightly.

Jareth glowered at her. "It's _masculine."_ He hissed indignantly. "Or, at least it _was._"

Sarah shrugged. "If you wanted _masculine_, you should have kidnapped a _man._" she said sternly. She decided not to bring up his make-up and glitter, for the time being.

Jareth stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded and secretly admiring her audacity.

Sarah cleared her throat. Time to cut to the chase. "It's been a month. I am ready to go home now." She said.

"After we dine." Jareth's face was unreadable, eyes shining with something unidentifiable.

"You said you would take me back _whenever_ I asked. You said if you didn't keep your word-" She started fiercely.

"And I will. Consider it a personal request." Jareth said. He turned his head abruptly, keeping his features carefree and pretending to be very interested in the wall as he waited for her answer.

Sarah glared suspiciously, observing him closely for any sign of trickery, but the Goblin King wouldn't meet her eyes and his body language gave nothing away.

_Well, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm. Heads of State should at least be able to dine civilly together. And maybe he will tell me about my friends…._

Having made up her mind, she tried for a bit of humor to lighten the mood. "As long as there aren't any oranges."

Jareth gave her a strange look, then turned and walked off down the hall without a word.

"Okay then," Sarah said.

She stared after him for a minute, bewildered. Had she offended him? Or did he expect her to run off after him like some adoring puppy? Well, if so, he was out of luck-

Her inner diatribe was disrupted as the world began to move without warning. She threw out her arms for balance as the room began spinning around her, round and round, faster and faster until it was a yellowish blur. She felt a scream catch in her throat as she began falling, no, now it was more like drifting, downwards, gently. The room changed and became clearly defined again, she landed on a chair in a room she had not yet seen. She sat before a small table on a stone balcony overlooking the Labyrinth. She realized that she was in one of the towers she had not yet been able to get into during her explorations. She was torn away from her observations as her chair was suddenly scooted in.

She looked over her shoulder, just barely catching Jareth's eye as he straightened and walked around to sit opposite her at the small round table. He waved a hand and goblins bearing food and drink rushed in from small hidden panels in the walls of the room the balcony was attached to, rushing back out as soon as the table had been set. Jareth raised his glass in a silent toast to her and started in on his food, not sparing her another glance.

She stared, not sure how to proceed. Did the Underworld have any particular etiquette? Sarah guessed not, judging by the way the Goblin King was eating.

"See something you like, love?" Jareth asked, looking up from his plate with a devilish smirk, clearly mistaking the reason for her attentiveness.

Sarah grimaced and looked away. She saw him shake his head and grin out of the corner of her eye as she turned her attention back to the food.

"I was wondering," She started tentatively.

"Yes?" He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I haven't been able to find my friends, none of the goblins even know who I am talking about-"

"What friends?" He asked, his gaze fixed on his wine, swirling it before taking a long drink and refusing to meet her eyes.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. What was he playing at? Still, best to try to play nice, she supposed. "Hoggle, the dwarf? Giant, furry orange monster named Ludo? Sir Didymus, the fox knight that guarded the bog? Surely you remember them, they did help me defeat you."

_Oh well, playing nice is underrated._

Jareth said nothing for a while, contemplating his nearly empty plate.

"That is not something I will tell you tonight. Another time, yes, but not now." He said.

Sarah immediately bristled. "If you've harmed them-"

Jareth shot her an irritated look. "Don't look at me like that. I've done nothing to them._ I swear_." He put his hand on his heart in a dramatic mockery of an oath, turning his attention to the remains of his dinner, stabbing the last few bites with his fork as if they had insulted his fashion choices.

Sarah got the clear impression that he wouldn't give her any more than that, not right now, anyway. His mood had darkened rapidly, and she didn't want to push him too far. "What kind of meat is this?" She asked, studying the strange dish.

"It's probably best if you think of it as chicken." He replied around a mouthful of food.

Sarah placed her fork back on the plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. She took a sip of her wine and studied the Goblin King furtively from the corner of her eyes. What was the point to all of this? Why was he being half-way decent? Surely it was just a tactic to get her to let her guard down. She stopped herself. What did she care? Soon she would be home, and all of this would be behind her.

_Until the next time he swoops in to bring you back._

She pushed this unwelcome thought from her mind, angrily suppressing the slight thrill she felt at it and downing the rest of her wine before standing up abruptly. The Goblin King stood as well, and, sensing that things were about to get unpleasant again, took the initiative to walk over to her and place his gloved hands on her cheeks.

Sarah froze.

_Oh god he's going to kiss me. What do I do? What do I do!_

"If you need anything, you have only to call on me, precious thing. Don't keep me waiting too long." He spoke the last bit as a warning, eyes blazing into hers.

And with that, he placed two fingers on her forehead and sent her back to her apartment.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**The Live Journal prompt for this month was not compatible with this story, but I figured I should churn out a chapter rather than waiting for the next one, considering that people are actually reading this. Hope you liked. **

**My inspiration this time was 2008 zinfandel port from Trader Joe's. I like to occasionally have a drink in the evening, which is also when I usually have time to write. Combining the two seems to produce interesting results. I think I'll continue the trend with the rest of this story, it's fun.**

**Don't know if you noticed, but Jareth poked a bit at the fourth wall there. Goblin King does what he wants. **

**Also, the pineapple vines were originally from Pika la Cynique's GND comic (you rock, Pika!). If you've read it, you'll know what they mean.**


	3. Carnival Dragons with Revolting Melodies

"_-Meanwhile, storms continue to ravage the nation, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, and other natural disasters plague humanity worldwide. Leaders will be meeting this week in Geneva for an emergency conference, but who knows what they mean to accomplish? What do you think, Bob?"_

"_Well, Larry, Scientists are blaming this year's unusually bad weather on global warming, but many in the community think that there is some otherworldly force behind it-"_

Sarah clicked off the TV, she needed to focus on finishing her piece before her deadline at midnight. She supposed, as a journalist, that she should be more concerned with the news, but it had been the same old song for months now, the monotonous morbid melody that most newscasters sang oh so well. Sarah wanted to provide something fresh, something that would make people smile.

With a dramatic flourish of her mouse, Sarah saved her article and emailed it to the editor, knowing that he would have no choice but to accept it, as it was now only two hours until the deadline. She glared at the monitor, as if attempting to psychically intimidate her editor through the dial-up with her impertinent mental vibes. She knew that her sunny articles were in sharp contrast to the usual doom and gloom pieces the local newspaper liked to publish, but she felt that that was a good thing, and that they should realize that and appreciate her more. People needed a bit of light and joy in these tumultuous times.

Today she had written about a new girl's school in Algeria, that had been funded by a rich old widow who had been killed in one of the recent storms, leaving her entire fortune to a local activist group. It was a modern day silver-lining-type fairy tale; Sarah loved those like a dieter loves chocolate muffins, and she did not regret in the least using the somewhat dubious tactic of waiting until the last minute to ensure that it would be in the morning's paper.

But she shouldn't let her mind rest on fairytales, nope. Or on the dangerous blonde men that haunted them. It had been six months now since her odd little detour to the castle beyond the Goblin City, six months since he had swooped in and proclaimed her as the part-time co-ruler of the Labyrinth, and she had heard nothing from said castle's enigmatic ruler since. She had begun to worry that something might be wrong; the other night, after a few glasses of port, she had even been on the verge of calling him to see what the deal was, but had caught herself in time. Queens did not drunk-dial.

She knew he was likely expecting her to call on him to come and take her away, but her pride just wouldn't allow it. She had made a deal with him, she knew she would have to go back eventually, but she'd be damned if she did anything that made it appear like she wanted to. On the other hand, she would have had to be a dusty old prune not to be at least a little curious about what was going on in her other world.

The clean night air drifting through the open window had an electric feeling to it, a crisp sense of simplicity and anticipation. Sarah breathed it in, reveling in the way it peeled away the layers of stress and worry from her mind, leaving her feeling clear-headed and wide awake. She became uncomfortably aware of how still and empty her little apartment was then; now that she had nothing to occupy herself with, the silence was abrasive and prickly. She grabbed her keys and headed out, the carnival was in town and open until one am, and she was craving some cotton candy and noise.

* * *

Sarah's feet crunched on the dry grass as she wandered aimlessly through the tents and booths, picking at her cotton candy as she took in the sights and sounds of the carnival. She felt strangely disillusioned and underwhelmed, like a cat that had been desperate to get inside the house, only to discover that inside was stuffy and boring. She forked over a few dollars to a carnie at one of the booths; maybe throwing darts at something would help her enjoy herself.

It was not to be, however. Just before she threw her first dart, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her heart skip a beat. Sarah spun around just as she released her dart, looking for the goblin that was no longer there.

"Jumpin' Germans, lady, watch where you're throwin' them things!" Yelped the carnie behind the booth, pulling the dart out of his thigh and limping around dramatically, glaring murder at her.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Sarah said, horrified.

"No I'm not alright, you crazy woman, any higher and you'da stuck my-"

But Sarah was no longer listening, eyes widening as she realized that the stuffed animal prizes lined up just under the counter were no longer stuffed animals. They whispered at her as she backed away, enormous red eyes bulging and wide yellowed smiles leering like rows of slimy candy corn.

"Hi-ya, Queenie!"

"Why's ya goin', Queenie?"

"Maybe she wants to play tag?"

"Or hide and seek?"

"We's always wins that game, don'ts we?"

"Yes, we's always find what's ours, eheheh!"

The goblin's gleeful, manic laughter followed her as she walked briskly away, the wheezy, unnatural sound blending in with the various squealings and creakings of the carnival rides. It wasn't that Sarah was afraid of them, but she wasn't ready to go back, not yet, not when her life was finally becoming stable.

She darted behind a thick purple drape between tents, taking a moment to calm her nerves and figure out how she wanted to handle this. She looked down as she realized that she still had several darts in her hand. She stuffed them in her pocket, they might come in handy later, besides, she was too embarrassed to return them now.

"'Ello, me dear, come and sit down, won't ya?" A small, reedy, feminine voice said from behind her.

Sarah turned around and took in her surroundings. The walls of the tiny area were plastered with blankets and thick canvas hangings, all in rich purples, reds and blues, muffling the sounds of the carnival outside, while the dry grass under her feet was hidden by thick, faded oriental rugs. A sheer drape separated the front of the narrow space from the back, and Sarah could see the outline of a squat figure near the ground on the other side, illuminated by a dim light. She marched forward and pulled aside the drape, meaning to order the goblin back to the Underground, but her words died in her throat.

Rather than a goblin, a tiny, dark, wrinkled old woman awaited her in the back of the space. Her short, well rounded frame was draped in tasseled shawls, and she wore a purple turban on her ancient head.

"I've been waiting for you, me dear. The spirits showed me you would be comin'. Come and sit down." She motioned with a toothless smile and a gnarled old hand to the pillows strewn on the carpet in front of her little table, which she sat behind cross-legged. Sarah raised her eyebrows, this evening was playing out like a really bad horror movie. Surely a chainsaw-wielding goblin would burst in at any moment, demanding a game of hide and seek.

"Um, sorry, I didn't realize anyone was in here. And I'm sorry, but I don't believe in all this fortune-telling stuff. Have a good night." Sarah smiled politely at the old woman and turned to leave.

"Wait! You cannot go! I must speak with you, it's very important! Besides, the little ones are just outside, you're the one they're lookin' for, aren't you? If I'm not mistaken, you're not wanting to be found just now."

Sarah spun around. "What do you mean 'the little ones'?"

"Well, I mean the goblins, of course." She gave Sarah a grandmotherly smile, one that almost disguised the spark of mischief in her small, dark eyes.

Sarah eyed the little woman critically, she appeared human, but that meant very little. "Are you fae?" It wouldn't hurt to ask, from what she had read, the fae could not lie, and even if she was just a little old lady, it's not like Sarah would ever see her again anyway.

The little woman burst into gales of creaky laughter at this. "Fae? Nay, child, my name is Madame Violca, and last I checked, I'm not counted among the fair folk." She continued chuckling for a moment, then waved at the pillows again, motioning for Sarah to sit.

"Come, sit with me for awhile, at least until them critters get bored and start looking elsewhere. They won't find you in here, I've got it charmed against such, you know." She nodded to several metal ornaments hanging from the ceiling.

Sarah was still skeptical, but approached and sat down slowly.

The old woman stared at her for a bit, as if not entirely sure how to proceed. Sarah sat awkwardly, wondering why this weird old woman was sitting in an unmarked space between tents. If all she was was a fortune teller, then why didn't she have any advertisement?

Finally, the old woman spoke. "Funny thing, that. You believe in the fair folk and their ilk, but you'll put no stock in other magics. Hmmm."

The awkward silence returned, and this time Sarah took the initiative to break it. "You said you needed to speak with _me_?" She figured it wouldn't hurt to indulge the batty old lady, she seemed nice enough, and clearly believed in the stuff she was spouting. Though on the other hand, she had known about the goblins, and didn't seem the least bit perturbed by them.

"Ah, yes, the spirits showed you to me, give me your hand, child, so that I can read for you."

Sarah held out her hand over the little table and tried not to roll her eyes. Madame Violca studied her palm for a moment, then tapped it triumphantly, before looking up at Sarah with excitement.

"You see this line here?" Sarah bent over and looked obediently at the little meaningless wrinkles in her palm. Madame Violca was jabbing one of her long, bony fingers at one in particular.

"Yes, I see it." Sarah said, feeling silly.

"It's your life line. They been changin' they have, started near a year ago." The old fortune teller paused for dramatic effect, then continued on after seeing Sarah's nonplussed expression.

"They're not supposed to do that, of course. It's natural for a line to change gradually as people grow and make different choices, but all the lines changed at once, as if overnight. Every hand I've looked at is the same, the lifeline fades away too soon."

"Um, okay. That's odd." Sarah said.

"Yours is special, though, it forks off in two different directions, one that fades away, like everyone else's is doin'. But the other stays strong and deep."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Means the future's in your hands, me dear, quite literally."

Sarah stared at the old woman in momentary silence. What was she supposed to say to that? She pulled her hand away and stood, reaching in her pocket and pulling out a few dollars, which she set on the table.

"Well, I best be going, thanks for the reading." She started to walk away.

"Wait, don't you want me to finish? Your love line is a strange one, too-"

But Sarah was gone, stepping out of the stuffy tent and breathing in the fresh night air. She felt crowded and confused, and wanted some more air. The Ferris wheel looked like a welcome reprieve, and so she headed that way.

It was while she was in line that they found her; she shifted nervously from one foot to the other and tried to ignore the shining eyes and revolting smiles that peeked out at her expectantly from behind every tent and out of every shadow. The people around her seemed largely unaware of the goblins, some would turn their heads when they thought they saw something strange, then shrug their shoulders and shake their heads dismissively. That was a good thing, she supposed, at least they wouldn't cause a panic. The young man in charge of admittance let her into a green car painted with blue Chinese dragons, and the ride began.

She perched pensively in her makeshift throne as she planned out her next move, fiddling with a pair of darts that she had pulled out of her pocket as the ferris wheel went round and round. She would order the goblins to leave, now was not a good time for her to go back Underground. Per her deal with the Goblin King, she was only obligated to spend three months a year in the Underground, and she planned on waiting until the last minute before calling him. That would give her time to accumulate enough vacation pay to ensure that her life here wouldn't be messed up by her time there. She frowned, wondering if the goblins had missed her or not. Very unlikely, given the unpopular laws she had passed during her first stint as Queen. Maybe she would buy them all some carnival fare before she sent them home.

She was jarred out of her musings as the Ferris wheel came to an abrupt stop, all the lights flickering off and the various passengers shouting in surprise. Sarah clung tightly to her lap bar as the car swung back and forth, once it stilled a bit she peered over the edge to see what was going on. She was at the very top of the Ferris wheel, able to see for miles. All the rest of the carnival seemed to be working just fine, the Ferris wheel seemed to be the only thing that had lost power. A man with a megaphone called up that technicians were on their way, the ride should be moving again in no time, everyone was to remain calm, these things happened occasionally.

Sarah sighed in resignation and leaned back to wait. She slowly looked all around, enjoying the glorious starry sky and the sparkling lights of the distant city. She turned to her right to see if she could spot any boats on the ocean and nearly jumped out of her skin, letting out a short scream. The Goblin King sat next to her, reclining gracefully against the side of the car, a leg draped over the safety rail and a self-satisfied smirk on his moonlit face.

"Hello, precious." He said, voice deep with amusement at her reaction.

Sarah started to say something and then stopped, taking a closer look at him. Even in the moonlight, She could see that something was wrong. The Goblin King looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, dark shadows hung heavily under his eyes, his face was gaunt and sallow, even his hair seemed to lack its usual flamboyance.

_Could he have missed me?_ She dismissed the thought as soon as it had appeared, the Goblin King may be many unpleasant things, but a pining sop was definitely not one of them.

"Speechless to see me? I can't decide whether to be flattered or disappointed." He said, his voice rich and smooth as European chocolate. Sarah huffed in annoyance. Whatever was wrong with him, his ego seemed to be perfectly intact.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, deciding not to bring up his appearance.

"Why, I've come to take you back to the Underground, of course." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I couldn't very well let you loose amongst all these unsuspecting people, what with you going around nearly mutilating the poor carnival workers." He nodded at the darts she still held in her hand, eyes shining with laughter and sharp teeth glinting in the starlight.

"No, you're not." She corrected him. "I still have a few months-"

"Actually precious, you don't. Ten months have passed in the Underground, you have to come right now."

"You never said we were going by Underground time!" She said, suddenly feeling that cotton candy on an empty stomach had been a bad idea.

"I never said we weren't." He answered with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh- you tricksy- urgh!" Sarah fumed. How could she have overlooked that detail? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Ah, the fair lady needs coaxing, I see. Perhaps I can offer you something _more_ to sweeten the deal?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively, turning his body towards her so that his bulge was quite obviously, _provocatively_, on display through his tight pants. His eyes trailed over her body. "You know, I can't stop thinking about how you looked in my clothes…"

Sarah's face was on fire. "Do remember that I'm holding darts. What happened to the carnie was an accident, what happens to you won't be."

"Ooh, tetchy, aren't we?" The Goblin King answered, eyes flashing with mirth. Nevertheless, he crossed his legs in a subtle move to protect his royal assets.

Sarah crossed her arms and sat tall and dignified, pointedly ignoring him and the arm that suddenly rested on the edge of the backrest behind her.

"As much as I love you being saucy like this, I warn you, if you try to attack my person, precious, I shall have to _restrain you._" He said, saying the last part in a lover's whisper right in her ear, his wicked smirk letting her know in no uncertain terms that he would definitely enjoy doing that.

"You are unbearable, you know that? I've just settled down here," She said, gesturing widely at the distant town and trying in vain push him away, but it was like shoving a wall. "I have a great job, a new apartment, everything is finally going well, and you just swoop in and ruin it all! Is that part of your evil plan? Make life so difficult for me up here that I'll just give up and stay in the Underground? Well, it won't work!"

_My will is as strong as yours._

"Really, Sarah, you have so little faith in me. I did promise to smooth over any complications due to your absences, did I not?" He nodded to her left, where a large and particularly ugly goblin suddenly came into existence. Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin for the third time that night, unconsciously leaning back against Jareth in surprise. The goblin looked like it would be nearly as tall as her, it even had long hair that had been tamed and dyed dark brown, and green, pupiless eyes.

"Meet Brell," The Goblin King said, right in her ear again, causing Sarah to jerk away, head twisting to look back and forth between the goblin and Jareth. Brell the goblin gave Sarah a toothy grin and an awkward seated bow, oomfing as she hit the safety bar.

"She is the changeling that has been trained to take your place here in the Above while you are fulfilling your duties as Goblin Queen. To others, she will look and sound just like you." He said. He waved a hand in dismissal, and the changeling faded away, sent to who knows where.

Sarah felt a bit foolish for forgetting that part of the deal, after all, no one had worried while she had been in the Underground last time, her friends and family all seemed to be under the impression that she was working on some secretive documentary in Mongolia and didn't ask too many questions. But any remorse was overridden by her scepticism that the changeling would really be able to perform as advertised.

"I should stay for a while longer, just to make sure that Brell can pull it off-"

"It has been long enough. Have I not let you be all these months? Have I not kept _my_ word? You try my patience." His melodious, playful tone had disintegrated into a dangerously quiet voice with a subtle sharp edge to it, and the laughter was gone from his eyes. He pulled back from her and scowled down at the bumper cars.

Sarah knew he was right. They had made a deal, and even though he _had_ forced her into it, he had thus far honored it without harassing her or trying to find any loopholes. She was being stubborn, fighting him simply for the sake of fighting, knowing that it would get her nowhere. The next seven weeks were going to be very long indeed if this was the way they were going to treat each other.

"Can we start over?" She asked, not quite meeting his eyes.

"If you wish." He said noncommittally, fixing her with an emotionless stare and ignoring the awkward silence between them.

Sarah tried again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted that you would keep your word, or threatened to stab you in the... you know."

His smirk was back faster than a roadrunner on roller skates. "Indeed. You would have deeply regretted such an action, my dear, that would have drastically limited our options for entertainment."

Sarah took a deep, calming breath, trying ignore the effect his words were having on her traitorous body. "Don't make me regret being nice to you." She said, giving him a stern look.

"Wouldn't dream of it, precious. After all, all I've ever wanted was your platonic niceties." He said, voice dripping with amused sarcasm. "Now, are you all out of objections? We really must be going."

He held out his arm in a way that would have been chivalrous if it had been done by anyone else, giving her a challenging look. Underneath his confidence and peacocking though, Sarah could see that he was even more tired and worn looking than he had been a few minutes ago. She wondered if being Above was what was draining him so, but somehow that didn't feel like the right answer.

"Yes. But I'm bringing the darts with me." She said, taking his arm and shooting him a warning look.

His last words as they faded from sight were, "Good. I do appreciate a challenge."

* * *

Much to the surprise of the baffled workers below, the Ferris wheel suddenly started again at the stroke of midnight, seemingly of its own accord, lights flashing and gears turning as if they had never stopped. Letting off the passengers, the young man in charge of admittance scratched his head at the empty dragon car, he could have sworn a young woman had gotten in it. He shook his head and forgot all about her, thinking that it must have been an illusion of the night.

* * *

**Gah! Finally! I have some excellent reasons, (and plenty of mediocre ones), for why this is so late, but I know nobody cares, so I'll spare you the speech. But hey, ominous foreshadowing, eh? Yummy stuff. Like literary Chinese food. Makes you want more.**

**LiveJournal prompt for this one was the open-ended theme 'Carnival', and to include the words 'dragon', 'revolting', and 'melody'. Blush champagne for inspiration.**

**Please leave a contribution in the little box! **


	4. Good Hospitality

Chapter 4: Good Hospitality

* * *

"I'm a _king,_ and you expect me to sleep on the _roof_?"

"Well, of the two of us, _you_ are the one who can turn into a bird-"

"Kings do not sleep on roofs!"

"-Besides, this is your home, whereas _I _am here out of the goodness of my heart to help you with _your_ kingdom for only a short time, so _I_ should get the bed." Sarah finished primly, crossing her arms over her chest and staring him down.

Jareth gaped at her incredulously, mouth opening and closing in silent fury. This had _not_ been what he pictured would happen with the sleeping arrangements when they had made their deal. He rallied and tried using the rich, deep, velvety voice, the one that had seemed to affect her when he had used it before.

"I don't see why we can't _share_, precious thing-"

Sarah held up her darts from the carnival from a few hours before and fixed him with a glare so black that the demons of the abyss would have been intimidated. Jareth huffed in irritation and waved his hand, turning the darts into a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs, and simultaneously magically dressing himself for bed in a pair of low slung gray silk pants.

Sarah froze for a moment, then dropped the handcuffs and turned away from him, walking calmly to the door.

"Where are you going." He asked.

"To find somewhere to sleep." She answered simply.

"There are no other beds in the entire castle-" He started snidely.

"I am aware." She said curtly, nearing the door.

Jareth ground his teeth in irritation. Was she really so repulsed by him? No, he knew she wasn't, he had seen how she reacted to him when he was near her, how her pulse would race and her breathing would quicken. Even now, there was a red tinge to her cheeks and a glaze in her eyes. She was undeniably attracted to him, so why was she being so obstinate? The lines on his face smoothed as a thought came to him. Perhaps she was not so different from him after all. Maybe she just needed to feel in control.

He had once, in a fit of desperate passion, offered to be her slave, not really knowing what that meant. Was that what she was waiting for? For him to deliver on all his promises, to put himself at her mercy? He wanted to laugh out loud at the idea, but his cunning mind was already mapping out every possible path he could take, and he could see that this was the one, or at least variation of it, was the most likely to succeed. Besides, what did it matter what he did or said, as long as he got what he wanted in the end? It would be too late for her to back out then, anyway. And besides, he was near exhaustion from his recent attempts at managing the rift, he really didn't want to waste energy on an argument right now.

"Sarah," He called beseechingly after her.

Sarah paused halfway through the door, preparing a cold look of rejection to shoot at him before continuing on. It vanished when she turned around and locked eyes with a very grumpy barn owl perched on a table near where Jareth had been standing. The owl narrowed its eyes at her and gave her the most sarcastic hoot she had ever heard, before taking off out the window.

Sarah grinned in triumph, running to the window ledge and hanging out so she could look up at the roof. Sure enough, there was a small shape settled on the very tip of the tower, a black owl-shaped silhouette set against the starry sky. Sarah called out, "Do you promise that you will stay away until I say it's okay?"

There was silence for a moment, in which she could almost physically feel the sharp edges of his thoughts, and then the hostility dissipated and there was a soft hoot; an unmistakeable 'yes'.

Sarah smiled widely at this small victory, feeling a new and unfamiliar warmth towards the Goblin King. Somehow, she knew he would keep his word, and she suddenly felt more comfortable with him than she ever had before. At least she knew she could sleep in peace, that she would have a safe place to relax at the end of the day.

"Thank you," she whispered, half hoping that he wouldn't hear.

* * *

The next morning, Jareth pretended that his rooftop indignities had never happened, and Sarah pretended that the Goblin King still had no redeeming qualities. They ate a silent breakfast in the same little room that they had once had an uncomfortable dinner in, all those months ago. Despite the natural tension that blossomed whenever they got close, the silence between them was a comfortable one this morning, both of them absorbed in their own thoughts.

Sarah was wondering if the laws she had made were still in effect, and what she should do if they weren't, and what the goblins had been told about her absence, and how she would cope with sharing her days with the undefinable creature that was the Goblin King. True to his word, (or hoot, she supposed) he had not returned to the royal chambers until she had yelled the all-clear this morning, after she had dressed and straightened the rooms up a bit. He had flown in the window then and transformed, miraculously dressed and primped as if he had spent hours getting ready, and had tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her to breakfast, inquiring if she had slept well. Sarah had been bewildered and almost ridiculously happy about this show of respect and gallantry from him, and had had to make a real effort to hide the fact that she was pleased. She wanted to believe that she had misjudged him, that he wasn't as terrible as she had first supposed, but that had the flavor of something that was too good to be true. She decided that she would maintain her image of him as an amoral trickster, that way she could be pleasantly surprised if he proved her wrong, rather than disappointed if he didn't live up to her expectations.

Jareth, on the other hand, was wondering whether or not he should tell her about all the gowns and other clothes he had had made for her, or if he should just let her continue wearing his clothes and let her find out about her wardrobe on her own. As he sipped his tea, he eyed the black leather waistcoat, which was wrapped snugly around her chest beneath one of his flowing white shirts, and he decided that the old human saying was right. Patience was a virtue.

Not trusting himself to follow his own advice, he rose and excused himself, making some vague excuse about having to examine the perimeter. Sarah stared after him, somewhat baffled by his sudden departure, then shrugged it off and headed down to the Goblin City to see what had changed since she had last been here.

She walked past the empty throne room, down the stairs and into the courtyard. The few goblins that were milling about there bowed to her briefly, then went back to their business. Sarah was slightly miffed, but tried not to show it. So what if the Goblin King got an enthusiastic horde clamoring for him when he came back, while she only got a lukewarm reception? At least they were still clean and sober. Still, it would be wise to win their love, she thought, and began mulling over ideas as she wandered.

The Goblin City circled about ninety percent of the castle, running up against high stone walls that enclosed a secret garden that faced the east. Sarah had seen it from a window soon after coming here the first time, and had spent nearly a week and a half trying to find a way in. The walls were too high to climb, and there weren't any doors. The goblins had been no help at all, acting baffled when she talked about a garden. Finally, after searching every inch of the wall a dozen times over without success, Sarah had lost her temper and flung herself at it in frustration, fists balled and arms flailing. She had been in a right state of shock when she fell forward and ended up in a lavender bush. She had felt foolish then, she knew better than anyone that nothing was what it seemed in this place.

This was were she headed now, walking up to the wall and pushing against it with all her strength, then stumbling forward to catch herself when she felt it begin to give way. In a moment she stood in a grove of cherry trees, the still apparently solid wall at her back and a sprawling mosaic of flowers and foliage stretched out in front of her. Here, the air was sweeter, the sky was clearer, and there was a feeling of sacredness, a peaceful and wholesome presence that was more precious to her than a mountain of gold. She had only come here a handful of times, not wanting it to become something ordinary and unspecial. It was her special thinking place, for when she was unsure or unhappy. She wasn't sure why she had come here today, perhaps she had just missed it.

She soon realized that she wasn't alone in the garden. As she emerged from the rows of hydrangea bushes that lay between the cherry trees and the pond, she stopped and stared at the profile of the Goblin King, who stood on the edge of the pond, seemingly oblivious to her. His eyes were fixed on the southern wall and he wore a troubled and brooding look. She followed his line of sight and her eyes widened. The garden was higher than the surrounding land, and she would see that the storm on the horizon was still there, and much larger and much closer than when she had been here last. She would guess that it was no more than a hundred miles away now. She looked back at Jareth, meaning to ask him what it was, but the words died in her mouth at the look on his face.

He stared back at her, his face stony and cold. Sarah suddenly felt as if she'd interrupted something private.

"Sorry, I didn't realize that you were here-"

She stopped as he turned and walked briskly away, not sparing her another glance or acknowledging that she had spoken.

Sarah sighed in exasperation as she watched his retreating back disappear through the far wall. One minute he was imposing and suggestive and intense, the next he was cold and indifferent. She didn't know what to make of it. A small part of her was a bit disappointed. At times, when she had run the Labyrinth, and since then when he had come to bring her back to the Underground, she had been sure that he wanted her, in the way a man wants a woman, and though she didn't regret resisting him, she would be lying if she said she wasn't flattered by it.

But when he acted like this, rudely leaving her with little to no explanation, she felt like she was nothing more than a glorified assistant. She shook her head firmly. No, it didn't matter what he thought, she was queen, and that was that. What's said is said.

She walked out to the end of the narrow wooden pier that went out about one fourth of the way into the large pond, sat down, took off her shoes and socks and let her feet dangle off the edge into the cool blue water, smiling when the beautiful koi brushed against her toes. She would have to make the best of this, she supposed. It wasn't like she had much of a choice, and it wasn't all bad, she thought, looking around at the magical garden. Purple dragonbirds, a sort of cross between dragonflies and hummingbirds, were buzzing over the surface of the pond in dizzy circles, hunting for bugs. Suddenly, an enormous orange koi leapt out of the pond from the side of the pier, arcing over Sarah and catching a dragonbird in midair, before diving back into the water with a splash, leaving her laughing and soaking wet. Looking up at the sun, she realized that it was well into the afternoon. She put on her socks and boots and trudged back up to the castle to hold court.

She didn't see the Goblin King again until dinner, when he appeared in the royal chambers, conjuring an extra chair and sitting himself down across from her without a word, then calling a goblin to appear and bring him food and eating utensils. Sarah watched him warily, but he focused on his food and ignored her. Feeling like she ought to do something, she tried making small talk, but he would only respond with a single word or grunt, or nothing at all, and he wouldn't look at her. Finally growing frustrated, she snapped at him.

"Why did you even bring me here?" She said sharply, voice raised, putting her fork down on her plate with a chink.

He stopped eating and looked at her for the first time, expression mildly curious. Sarah waited a moment, but still he said nothing.

"Why bring me back here to the Labyrinth? Why make me queen? I don't get it." She was good and angry now, and determined to get an answer.

He gazed at her coolly, speaking in an even tone. "I owe you no explanation."

"Like hell you don't-"

The Goblin King stood and stepped away from the table, giving her a dangerous smile and still speaking in that infuriatingly calm tone. "I will not be spoken to in that manner, Sarah, not even by you."

Sarah realized with horror that she could not, in fact, speak at all. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She stood up and stared at him with wide eyes as he walked over to her with long, graceful strides, stopping when they were shoulder to shoulder. "Understood?"

Sarah stood still as a statue, trying not to panic. Jareth seemed to be pleased with her reaction.

_He promised I would be unharmed, and that I would be free if he broke his word..._ She thought, her mind racing.

"Good night, Goblin Queen." He said in a smug, mocking voice, slowly raising his hand and placing two gloved fingers on her throat, sliding them gently across her windpipe. Then, he walked over to the window. Sarah turned to watch him fly away in his owl form.

Sarah realized that she could speak again and went to the window, yelling after him, "I hope you fall off the roof tonight!"

She could have sworn that she heard his laughter inside her head.

Things were much the same over the next several weeks. The king and queen would meet in the small tower to share a mostly silent breakfast on the balcony, then go their separate ways until dinner. They seemed to have developed an unspoken agreement about how to share the responsibilities; he would occupy the throne room in the mornings, and she would hold her court in the evenings. She was mostly happy with this, and so far there hadn't been any disagreements between them; he seemed to accept her rulings without comment, and she found that he was a very capable ruler, despite being a bit harsh and archaic and having a penchant for defenestration.

The Goblin King would sometimes disappear for hours or even days at a time, looking wane and exhausted when he returned, but refusing to give any explanation as to what he had been doing. Sarah stayed away from him on those days, for he would be in a terrible temper until he got some rest. The rest of the time his moods would swing from brooding to flirtatious to mocking, and Sarah learned how to deal with him, so that soon they were able to occasionally have somewhat straightforward conversations, although he still never told her anything she wanted to know. Still, she kept trying.

"You promised, you know." She said one morning as they were finishing up breakfast, four weeks into her stay.

He looked up from his eggs sharply, eyeing her with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "Promised what, precious?"

"That you would tell me where my friends are."

His expression became unreadable, and she got the feeling that he was searching for an out. Again.

"I never said _when_," He said, eyes twinkling as he waited for her to start yelling.

"I'm not going to forget, you know," she continued in a quiet, demure tone. This was delicate work; he was _so_ easily provoked, she had to stay calm and polite and make no mention of cake if she wanted to get anywhere with him. Besides, she was starting to suspect that he enjoyed it when she lost her temper, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"How long are you going to make me wait?" Sarah took a deep, slow breath through her nose, biting her lip and giving him a patient, beseeching look.

Jareth faltered, feeling himself soften as he was confronted with those big, lovely, pleading green eyes. He sighed deeply in resignation. Damn the woman. She was doing that on purpose.

"Very well. I will tell you when I return tonight." He said magnanimously.

Sarah tried not to look triumphant, an easy feat as the rest of his words registered in her mind. "When you return? Are you leaving again?"

He chuckled. "Just for a few hours. Why, do you miss me when I'm gone, love?" He said teasingly, eyes taking on a predatory gleam and his cruel lips twisting in a smirk.

Sarah didn't answer, and so he left, fading away into nothing. She was half expecting his smirk to linger after him, Cheshire cat style, but it didn't. Putting her elbows on the table, she gazed pensively out over the Labyrinth, worrying that tonight would be a disaster. He was always in such a horrible mood when he returned from wherever it was that he went.

She needn't have worried, however, because he did not return that night. Or the night after, or the night after that. A week, and then two passed, and Sarah began to panic. She maintained her outward calm, sending out goblin search parties and interrogating anyone and everyone who might know where he was. But no one knew where the king went when he left, and he had never given her the faintest hint of what he did when he was not in the Labyrinth. On the fifteenth day in the afternoon, she was in the library when her goblin assistant came waddling into the room, wide eyed and breathless.

"Queen! Queenie! I's found 'im! The King, Majesty; I thinks he's dead!"

"What!" Sarah stood and strode over to the goblin, grabbing his shoulders and bending over slightly to look him in the eye. "Explain!"

"He's in the lost things, Queen! I shows ya!"

Sarah let him go and he turned and waddled off as fast as he could, which, considering that his legs were as short as a penguin's, wasn't very fast. Sarah walked after him, wringing her hands and huffing impatiently, wishing that she had magic so that she could transport them there faster. As it was, it took nearly an hour for Munk to lead her to the piles of rubbish and discarded and lost things piled outside of the Goblin City. She followed him to a small mountain of broken globes and torn maps, where a small group of goblins were standing worriedly around the motionless figure of the Goblin King, who was lying on the ground. Sarah ran forward, shoving goblins out of the way, and fell on her knees by his head.

He was pale as milk, and thinner than she had ever seen. Dark circles purpled the skin under his eyes, which were closed, his hair was limp and his clothes were filthy.

She shook him. "Jareth, wake up!"

No response. She felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a weak, slow pulse, but it was steady, and definitely there. Drops of rain began to fall on them and the sky darkened. It would be night soon and they were nearly a mile from the castle. She looked around to the wide eyed goblins that surrounded them.

"Help me carry him up to the castle, all of you, now!"

They hurried to obey, and in what felt like no time at all she had him laid out on his back on the bed. They all stood around for a few hours, waiting for something to happen, but the Goblin King slept on. His breathing was shallow and difficult, and the goblins were getting near frantic with worry. Finally, late in the evening, Sarah sent them all away, reassuring them the best she could and promising that she would let them back in in the morning.

She sat next to him on the massive bed, studying his profile in the reddish light from the fireplace. Even wasted and ragged as he was, he still looked alien and fierce, and it was with some trepidation that she reached out to feel his forehead. She'd never actually touched his skin before, and was a little surprised to find that it felt more or less like hers. He was warm, but not feverish, at least she didn't think he was. She didn't even know _what_ he was, how was she supposed to know what was normal or not for him?

She got up and fetched an extra blanket, spreading it over him and tucking it around his shoulders, then checked his pulse again. It was a bit stronger, but not by much. She crawled back onto the other side of the bed, yawning as she felt exhaustion overcome her. She stayed awake as long as she could, keeping a vigilant watch, terrified that she would fall asleep and wake up to him being gone, either figuratively or literally. After a few more hours, she felt herself drifting off despite her best efforts. She crawled under the covers, turning so that she could see his profile in the dying firelight, see the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

"Don't you dare leave me here alone, Goblin King." She muttered before drifting off.

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**AN: I've decided that I don't like the title of this story, in fact I hate it. Maybe that's why I have such a hard time motivating myself to write new chapters. Anyway, I need a new one, but I'm drawing a blank. Anyone got any ideas? I'm open to suggestions.**

**I tried to dive a bit into Sarah's identity here, she is difficult to write, I think because she has so much going on beneath the surface. It is worth it though, if you can capture her character, which I hope I am doing well. On one hand, she's a girl from New York. On the other, she is a world-conquering queen with her own independent power that comes from who she is, not from magic. I don't want her to have magic in this story, I want her to be awesome all on her own. I am also doing something with Jareth's character as well, but I can't tell you what it is yet.**

**The next chapter will be coming along shortly, I am already typing it, but could use some encouragement. Please Review!**


	5. Sharing and Caring

**AN: Tried to upload this yesterday, but I guess the site was having issues. **

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Chapter 5: Sharing and Caring

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Sarah returned to consciousness with the abruptness a door being slammed. She kept her eyes shut and her breathing even, forcing herself to remain calm despite the torrent of thoughts and emotions rushing through her now wide-awake mind. What if he was still asleep, or worse? It was too terrible to think about, and seeing it would be even more terrible, so she kept her eyes shut tight, focusing on her other senses instead.

The air around her was unpleasantly silent, there was no crackling from the fireplace, no merry goblin cacophony from the city below. It was still and stifled, like a breath that has been held for too long. The smells that she breathed in were warm and sweet though, fragrances of sunshine and clean linens and recent rain, with just a hint of autumn decay mixed in. Sarah waited a minute, lying very still. Then another minute, and another. Finally, she could take it no longer.

She opened her eyes and her breath caught in her throat, somewhere between a gasp of surprise and a sigh of relief.

Jareth stared back at her, blue eyes intense and locked onto hers. They lay on their sides facing one another, an obstructive mass of soft furs and decadent fabrics bunched up between them. Sarah felt dizzy with relief. She resisted the sudden urge to jump over and hug him, or worse…

He reached over silently and brushed a bit of her hair out of her face, his eyes softening when she didn't move away. He smirked a bit, and her eyes darted to his lips then back up again. She leaned forward…

"I knew you'd get into bed with me sooner or later." He said smugly.

Sarah sat up abruptly and began beating him viciously with her pillow.

He laughed and rolled out of bed, dusting goose feathers off of himself and grinning at her mischieviously.

"Come now, there's no shame in denying it, although I would appreciate a memory refresher on how I ended up in here. I thought I was aiming for the garden…"

"You nearly _died_!" She said gravely, putting as much gravity into her words as possible; he was not going to brush this off, not this time.

"Nonsense-"

"You were gone for over two weeks! The goblins found you in the garbage city barely alive!" She exclaimed.

Jareth was unable to hide the flash of surprise that momentarily crossed his face at her words, or the grave look of understanding that followed as he remembered what he had been doing and the consequences he had endured.

Sarah noticed that he was paleing again, and jumped up and hurried over when she saw him sway a bit.

"You're still not recovered, lie back down." She commanded, pointing to the bed.

"Are you going to play my nurse, Sarah love?" He asked wickedly.

"And none of that! I mean it!" Sarah put her hands on her hips and glared at him like an angry nun. It really wasn't fair, whatever he was doing; it was like some kind of psychic siren song, drawing her to him almost irresistabley. Luckily for her, her will was a strong as his, and his foot seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his mouth, which effectively canceled out his more charming aspects.

Jareth put his hands up in surrender and lay back down as directed, still smirking. "As my queen commands."

"Uhg." Sarah walked over to the door, cracking it open and telling the group of goblins in the hall the news and ordering food and water to be brought up.

"You know, Sarah," the Goblin King called from behind her, speaking loudly to be heard over the rambunctious explosion of cheers from the goblins, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _worried_ about me." The smugness in his voice had reached near-villainous levels again, and Sarah had to fight back the urge to attack him with something harder than a pillow. She ignored him instead, busying herself with tidying up the mess in the room leftover from having the goblins in here the night before. Her anger and silence did not go unnoticed.

When he spoke again, his voice was much colder. "Ah. It is near time for you to leave, isn't it? I suppose it would make you upset to have to stay here any longer than necessary."

Sarah paused. Truth be told, she hadn't once thought of the Aboveground since it had become clear that Jareth was missing. But she had no intention of telling _him_ that, so she changed the subject.

"You promised me answers."

"I promised you _an _answer, to a _certain_ question." He returned, voice still cold.

"You also promised to tell me what I wanted to know _that day_, which was over two weeks ago. I demand interest."

He was starting to cheer up now. He loved to bargain.

"Very well, one additional question. But I can refuse up to thirteen of them." He said.

"I want _three_ questions, and I want you to give straightforward, honest answers. And no refusing to answer." She answered.

He was sitting up now and watching her intently, and she turned to face him. He was already starting to look better, the glow had returned to his skin and his hair was gradually reinflating. All the coldness was gone from his voice now. "Absolutely not. I'll give you three honest answered questions, but I want unlimited refusals and I'll answer them when I feel like it."

She put her hands on her hips and held his gaze, forcing herself not to blink. "Final offer. Three questions, answered honestly before I go back Above this time, two refusals, and I'll owe you one _small_ favor. Oh, and I'll also have two chances to refuse in regards to the favor." She said, immediately regretting the offer when she saw his eyes light up.

"Done." He said, grinning like the cat that got the canary.

It was then that Munk the penguin-shaped goblin burst anxiously into the room, carrying a tray of food and a pitcher of water. A smaller goblin carrying a tray of dishes and cutlery followed him, completely obscured by the burden he carried. Jareth and Sarah both turned to watch them.

Munk gazed in wide eyed wonder at his king, too overcome with awe to say anything to him. He set the tray down on the small table, never taking his eyes off of his sovereign, until the king quirked an irritated eyebrow at him, at which point he pulled a mug off the tray and turned and waddled over to Sarah, offering the mug with his customary greeting.

"Queen haz coffee. Now Queen hear day's bizniz?"

Sarah felt a rush of warmth for her faithful assistant. She took the coffee and smiled at him. "I'll be down in little bit. Why don't you head down to the throne room and wait for me?"

Munk nodded and started off, then paused and turned around. 'Queen should know now. All goblins heard about how Queen saved King with her witchy powers-"

-A poorly disguised snort came from the Goblin King-

"-and all goblins love Queen now, none want to light you on fire or drown you in ale anymore." He smiled grotesquely. At least that's what she thought he was doing, considering that he had a beak instead of a mouth.

"Oh. Well... that's nice." Sarah said politely, glad that the goblins apparently liked her now and hopeful that the poorly executed assassination attempts would stop.

The small goblin under the tray of dishes gave an excited squeak of agreement, making all the dishes clatter and rattle. Sarah bent and lifted the tray, revealing a football-sized blue goblin gazing up at her in adoration. She smiled widely as she recognized the look on its face. It was the same look of worship that the goblins gave their king.

"Off you go now," She said fondly.

They hurried off, closing the huge oak door behind them, and she carried the tray to the table, fixing plates for herself and her irascible patient.

The Goblin King started to sing. "You've put a spell on meeee-"

"Oh, be quiet and eat your muffins." Sarah said, still unable to stop smiling.

Later that day, The Goblin King, feeling well rested and almost back to his old self, decided that the had had enough of being nursed, considering that his nurse had all but abandoned him after breakfast. He had a long soak in the tub, pondering their new deal, and then dressed and set off.

He met her in the hallway outside of the throne room, and insisted on her joining him for lunch. The meal was mostly silent, both of them feeling the weight of the promised information between them. Tomorrow was her last day, and Jareth decided that it would be best to get the questions out of the way now rather than wait till the last minute. He wanted her to leave on somewhat good terms, and he had a few ideas on how to make that happen, but first they had to get this done and out of the way.

"Your first question was about your 'friends', as you called them, yes?" He said suddenly, breaking the silence and stealing Sarah from her thoughts. She put down her fork on the mostly empty plate quietly and nodded, eyes fixed on him.

"I have another little bargain to make with you. Let that be your _last_ question rather than your first, and I'll give you a present tomorrow before you leave."

She seemed to usually be happy, for the most part, but he knew that she probably wouldn't be after he answered her questions. And knowing Sarah, she would have learned how to ask the right questions, which worried him. Strangely, he didn't want to upset her. Not really, anyway. True, he loved to provoke her, to make her furious or frustrated or frightened. These displays of passion from her were beautiful and exciting to him, and he relished them. But her tears, her heartache, that he did not want to see.

Sarah considered him carefully. "What kind of present?"

Jareth held back a smirk, seeing that she was too curious to refuse. "One that you will like, and that will cost you nothing except this. Agreed?"

Sarah shrugged. "Agreed."

"Well then, what is your first question?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and grinning slightly.

"What have you been doing when you leave?" Sarah asked immediately.

"Refused. I will not answer that." He said.

"What! You've got to be kidding me."

"We agreed on three refusals, precious. Try again." His grin was slowly evolving into a smirk.

"_Where_ have you been going when you leave?" She tried.

"Refused." He said in an almost bored voice.

Sarah huffed, staring out over the Labyrinth while she thought.

"Would you really have turned Toby into a goblin?" She asked, looking back at him slowly.

"No." He said.

She looked at him in surprise, waiting for him to go on.

He did, after a moment's pause. "You have to understand, nothing here is mortal. Anything that becomes a part of the Underground is changed by matter of necessity. He, like other wished away children, would have slowly lost his mortality and turned into a goblin, or some other Labyrinthian creature, naturally. I, however, have no influence over the process."

"But, I'm a part of the Underground now, aren't I? I'm not changing into a goblin." Sarah said.

"You solved the Labyrinth and became its queen. There are certain privileges attached to that. You will not become a goblin, precious, but you are changed, and have been for years."

"I feel the same." Sarah objected.

"Then is your second question about how you are changed?" He asked slyly.

Sarah thought a while, before deciding that she could likely answer that question herself, in time.

"So what's your end goal, then?" She asked, all business.

He quirked a sculpted eyebrow.

"Why am I here, really? And don't tell me that the Labyrinth made you bring me here, you left me alone for four years and then just showed up out of the blue."

"What exactly is your question, precious?" Jareth asked.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, praying that he would answer the question.

Jareth regarded her carefully for a minute, then replied simply, "Because I wanted you here."

Sarah blinked. "Go on…"

"That's all."

"That's not an answer."

"It is both honest, and straightforward, which were the requirements you set down for answers." He gave her a cheeky grin, bouncing one foot on his knee and leaning back in his chair even more, so that it tipped back.

"Fine. Tell me about my friends then." Sarah shifted in her seat and started tapping her toe, suddenly apprehensive.

Jareth seemed reluctant, but continued on. "You wanted to know where they've gone. Well, the answer to that is- nowhere."

Sarah blinked. "That's not an answer either, you have to-" She said, her voice steadily growing louder and angrier.

"Will you let me finish?" Jareth snapped, and Sarah fell silent, watching him warily.

"The creatures that you befriended when you ran the Labyrinth, the red monster, the fox night and his dog, and the dwarf were created specifically for you." He paused and Sarah broke in again.

"I don't understand. Are you saying that you _made_ them?"

"No. The Labyrinth loves to play with people's minds, twisting their fears and dreams into reality, often driving runners mad, even before I can get to them." He seemed a bit disappointed by this. "Contrarily, sometimes it will play on a person's imagination, creating things from their subconscious that are not necessarily a threat to them."

"But- but they were real! You talked to Hoggle, like you knew him!" Sarah exclaimed.

"They were very real, plucked from your mind and given life and breath, memories and personalities. The dwarf knew me because you imagined he would. And yes, I used them to my own advantage, and I'm not the least bit sorry for it. It is my responsibility to try and stop runners from succeeding, by whatever means necessary."

"You used Hoggle to give me that peach!"

"Yes, I did." He answered calmly, giving her a carefully crafted even look. "Are you going to get upset with me or do you want to hear more?"

Sarah glared at him, but said nothing. Jareth's face was set in a scowl, but when he spoke it was in a gentle, honeyed tone.

"Come now, precious thing, have I not been generous, and gone out of my way to make you happy? All I have asked is three months of the year, and I have given you everything you could want or need, and much more besides. I could have done much worse." There was a hint of darkness behind his words that left too much to the imagination. He watched her for a moment and shook his head. "Are you really so miserable?"

No, she wasn't, and she reluctantly softened at his words, though a small bit of flint, made primarily of pride and fear, stayed lodged stubbornly in her heart. She didn't answer him, but her voice had lost its sting when she spoke again.

"Where are they, then?"

Jareth gave her an almost pitying look. "They were created, and therefore sustained, by your imagination, Sarah. Had you stayed in the Labyrinth, they would have stayed as well. But you didn't, and so they simply faded away."

Sarah felt like she couldn't breath. They were gone, gone forever? And it was her fault. Though she hadn't known! She would have found a way if she had..

"They felt no pain, it was a gentle process." He said quietly.

"How long did it take?" Sarah asked, voice rough. Her friends had only visited a few times after her run from the Labyrinth. They had become increasingly quiet and still with each visit, taking longer and longer to come when she called, but her teenage self had dismissed it as them just being uncomfortable in her world. She had planned to find a safe way to visit them here.

"About six months."

She put her head in her hands to hide the tears that were threatening to fall.

Jareth watched her and wished that he could do something to make her feel better. He almost reached across the table to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but stopped himself.

"I am sorry, Sarah." And, as much to his surprise as to hers, he really was.

After a tense minute Sarah stood up abruptly and walked to the door. "I think I'm going to bed."

Jareth nodded and stood, but stayed where he was. "Sarah, if you should need anything…"

At those words, Sarah lost her composure completely and took off down the hall at a run. She crawled into the bed and buried herself in the furs, crying for hours, until she was finally exhausted and sleep took her. The Goblin King did not sleep on the roof that night, but perched on the bedroom's window sill in his owl form, keeping watch over her all through the night.

By morning, Sarah seemed to be doing better, and the Goblin King flew off for the throne room after seeing that she was up and eating.

He was not terribly familiar with most human feelings, he had never had a mother or a father around or much interaction with other peoples by which to learn. He had wandered here as a child and made it his own, for the most part it had just been him and the goblins, and the occasional terrified human in the Labyrinth. Sarah made him feel things, alien emotions that he was unfamiliar with. That was part of what had brought about his obsession in the first place. He felt compassion and desire for her, and stronger feelings that he didn't know what to name. A part of him, driven by fear and pride, wanted to throw her back Aboveground and burn her from his memory, go on as if she had never existed. Another part of him wanted to dance and sing with her and make her a crown of jewels and a train of flowers. He felt both excited and disgusted by these feelings, and he was unsure of how to respond to her. Because of this, more goblins than usual ended up in the bog that day before the Goblin King left the throne room, finally satisfied with his work.

He searched for a little while and found her in the gardens, sitting on the edge of the pier on the koi pond, letting her feet dangle in the water, lost in her thoughts. He paused, watching her from the cover of the trees.

"Are you going to go back to ignoring me so soon?" She called out, not taking her eyes off the water.

Jareth smirked and walked forward. He noticed, now that he wasn't so wrapped up in his thoughts, that she was no longer wearing his clothes, but she wasn't wearing her own, either. Seeing that he was approaching, Sarah stood and turned to face him, skirts wrapping around her in the strange and suspiciously convenient wind that suddenly came out of nowhere. She was wearing a red summer gown, sleeveless and corseted and embroidered all over with yellow roses. She was stunning.

"I see you've found your wardrobe." He started casually.

Sarah bit her lip to withhold a smirk. "I found an unfamiliar goblin sewing a pair of slippers today. She led me to a hidden room full of dresses, said they'd been there for months. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask." He said simply.

"That's completely unreasonable."

"You expected me to be reasonable?"

Sarah laughed. "I guess not. So, what's my present?"

"Demanding girl. Close your eyes and come with me." He held out a gloved hand and flashed her a dangerous grin.

Demanding _queen_, you mean. And I will come with you, but I will most certainly _not_ be closing my eyes." Sarah took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the garden and back to the castle.

"Obstinate girl. You are determined to ruin all my fun."

"A _thousand_ apologies, your Majesty." Sarah said, feigning dramatic dismay.

The corners of Jareth's lips quirked, but he continued on in a serious tone. "Very well. I shall let it go with a warning this time. Continue with this impertinence, however, and I will have no choice but to discipline you."

Sarah didn't know what to say to _that _double entendre_,_ but luckily she was saved from coming up with a response, as they had stopped outside of the throne room.

Jareth let go of her hand and stepped to the side, gesturing solemnly for her to go in first. Sarah stepped forward through the archway and looked around curiously. The room was overflowing with goblins of all shapes and sizes, and they were all staring expectantly at her. She looked around at them all, wondering what was going on, and then she noticed the new addition to the room.

Next to the usual bone and rock throne was another, similar seat. It was also made of stone, but was more polished than the other, and the seat and back had large cushions of light blue edged with gold. The two thrones were set so that the armrests were about a foot away from each other, the steps running together. The goblins beamed up at her.

"You like it, Queen?" One of them asked.

"Very much," Sarah said.

"We made it for you!" Another said.

"You did?" Sarah asked, smiling down at him.

"They helped a little." The Goblin King said right in her ear, making her start and look back at him.

"I carved the steps!" A small orange goblin said, pointing to his teeth, which were worn down to nubs.

"I stole the flowerpots!" A tall green goblin said.

"Tasty flowerpots." The small orange one said apologetically.

"We made it like Kingy's!" One said.

"Only softer." Munk said.

"But _not _bigger…" Another said, as if reciting instructions.

"Thank you, thank you all so much, I love it!" Sarah said, making sure to catch Jareth's eye. He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"Well then, are you going to keep us all waiting? Try it out." He demanded.

The goblins parted for their monarchs, watching as Sarah walked around the pit and climbed the steps to her throne, before turning around and sitting down regally, to raucous cheers from her subjects. Jareth too sat down on his throne, and made a show of reaching over and snatching Sarah's hand and raising it with his, which made the goblins cheer even louder. Sarah laughed and let him, enjoying the moment.

"Celebrate!" A goblin called out, and the rest of the goblins immediately agreed, but then froze and looked to their king and queen for approval. The sun was not to set for another hour or two, and the goblins weren't sure how to proceed without alcohol.

Sarah looked to Jareth, but he just shrugged in indifference.

"Go ahead, have a party." She said, magic words that guaranteed the never ending love and fealty of her subjects.

The Goblin King turned to her, giving her a guarded look. "Shame that you have to leave so soon. What with the party being in your honor, and all." He let go of her hand and turned away again, appearing to be very interested in a pile of goblins near the window wrestling with a keg of ale.

Sarah paused for a minute, then made a decision. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay for an extra day or two…"

Jareth looked back at her and gave a true, genuine smile at that, one that lit his face and gave her butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't help it, she smiled back.

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**AN: Yes, the title is still the same. Have you ever tried to catch an ornery chicken? Or a cat that knows that you mean to give it a bath? Well, the little part of my brain that is responsible for naming things is being like that, I want to kill it and have it be reborn as a more helpful version of itself, but I can't find the little s**t. Thank you for all the suggestions, there were quite a few good ones and I will still likely change the title later when I can decide on which one I like best.**

**Chapter four and five were written for the Labyfic LiveJournal challenge for this month, which was to include a pier and Sarah in a red dress. Please review!**


	6. Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

**AN: Thank you so much for all the follows/favs, and lots of love to everyone who reviewed.**

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Chapter 6: Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

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The white blanket of snow that covered the shops and cars and sidewalks of Sarah's little New York hometown looked straight out of a greeting card, bringing to mind words like 'picturesque' and 'merry' and 'frostbitten'. It was the kind of scene that invoked thoughts of hot cocoa and snowmen, and made one reminisce about Christmas as a child. At least, it would have, if the snow had been falling in the middle of winter like it was supposed to, rather than July.

Sarah trudged through the drifts like a convict on her way to meet her maker, head down and scarf pulled tight around the lower half of her face, partly to protect against the chill, and partly to ruin the makeup that Karen had so aggressively applied. She did not want to go through with this, but she would not be called a chicken, either. She was half tempted to call on the Goblin King for aid, but that felt a shade too petty and manipulative for her. Sarah prefered to handle her own problems.

She stopped in front of the little coffee shop, peering in the windows dubiously, eyes jumping from person to person until she found the one she was looking for. Darn. She had been half hoping that he would forget, or stand her up. She sighed deeply, noting that he had picked out a private booth and appeared to have ordered for her.

After coming back from the Underground a week ago to find that the changeling Brell had not only kept her affairs in order, but had even earned her a promotion at work and several new job offers, Sarah had elected to take some vacation to visit her family in New York while she mulled over the offers. She had arranged with Karen that she would arrive in time for Friday night dinner, but realized that she had been hoodwinked immediately after walking through the front door. Her father and Toby, it seemed, had gone out on a fishing trip (ice-fishing had become quite popular in the area in recent months), leaving Sarah alone in a house with her stepmother and the Mary Kay party from hell.

Sarah had been younger than everyone else by at least a decade, and all the other women seemed to exist in that moment for the sole purpose of finding Sarah's one true love for her, or at very least someone suitable for procreating with (Oh, Gloria, can you just _imagine_ how beautiful her babies will be?). All of them also seemed to have a son or a nephew or a friend of one that might fit the bill, and after several torturous hours (for her, not them) of wine (for them, not her), fancy cheese, and overpriced makeup, it was decided that Gloria's sister's nephew Larry the pre-law student was The One.

Karen had observed all of this from the sidelines, radiating the smugness that can only come from a woman who has laid an elaborate plan and watched it come to fruition. Whenever the opportunity arose, Sarah attempted to kill her with her eyes. This was _not_ happening, she would _not_ go. Karen had anticipated this, too, however. Sarah wasn't quite sure when her stepmother had become so proficient at bribery and blackmail, but after a few not-so-subtle reminders of favors owed (Karen had covered for Sarah more than once during her rebellious teenage phase, and there were things that her dad just didn't need to know) Sarah had agreed to go on the blind date.

Which was how she had ended up here. She would go in, they would smile and talk about the weather, they would drink their drinks and talk about their jobs, he would act politely unaffected by the fact that she hadn't gone to college, she would act politely interested in his career choice, they would comment on what a wonderful time they'd had and that they should do this again soon, and then part ways without exchanging phone numbers.

Nodding grimly, Sarah opened the door and made her way over to him, shrugging out of her coat, scarf and hat before plopping down in the opposite booth with all the grace and charm of a sea slug.

"Hullo. I'm Sarah." She said, straightening up and offering her hand, suddenly embarrassed by her rude behaviour. For all she knew, this poor soul had been bullied into this as well.

The Poor Soul lowered his newspaper and Sarah shot up in her seat and pulled her hand back quickly, her world suddenly shrinking to the uneven blue eyes that stared back at her, twinkling with mischief. His eye markings were barely noticeable, his hair was cropped close and he wore an almost ordinary black leather jacket, but there was no mistaking that smug smirk.

"_Goblin King, what are you doing here_?" she hissed between gritted teeth, barely moving her lips. Her eyes darted around the cafe, where under warm lighting people talked and laughed normally, sipping their drinks and enjoying their food and company. It seemed almost incomprehensible to her that he could exist in a place without causing immediate chaos.

"Surely you're not implying that I am unwelcome?" he challenged.

Sarah steeled herself and held his gaze, putting on her angriest face. She would not, under any circumstance, let him know that she was pleased to see him. Encouraging him could lead to nothing good.

"Last time you kept your distance."

"Last time you weren't being stalked by a potentially unstable male."

Sarah wondered for a moment who he was talking about, and then remembered that she had a date.

"Really? Could've fooled me."

He paused for a moment, as if he couldn't believe that she'd really said that. "Sarah, I don't like what you are insinuating."

"Tell me, Goblin King, what bothers you more, the possibility of him being unstable or the fact that he is male?" she raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't one to play the jealousy game, but she had to admit, it _was_ very flattering.

A wicked, slippery grin spread across his handsome face, and he leaned back in the booth, silently daring her to continue. An icy tingle ran down her spine.

"I'm free to go on dates if I like."

"Never said you weren't." he was still grinning, but his voice could have made a polar bear shiver. The lights flickered. A coffee cup on a nearby table suddenly shattered for no apparent reason.

"How did you even know I was going to be here? You're not _watching_ me, are you?" Sarah asked uncertainly.

Jareth thought fast. This wasn't going the way he wanted.

"Sarah, I've turned your 'date' into a potted plant." he stated matter of factly.

"-Wait, what!? You did what!" her eyes fixed on a plastic tree in the corner, which suddenly seemed far more frightened than any artificial shrubbery should rightfully be.

"Not really, l'm just distracting you."

"You're- from what?"

"From the fact that you've just agreed to leave with me." he seemed to be suddenly in a better mood. His smile was wolfish, and not just because of the pointed canines.

"I did not!" she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned indignantly.

"Fine, then, I won't tell you all the secrets you've been dying to know." he leaned across the table towards her, and all Sarah could think of was how far she could see down his shirt.

Her eyes glittered hopefully as his words registered. "What secrets?"

"Where I've been going while you're stuck in the castle. The reason for the unusual natural disasters here in your world."

"Alright, I'm listening. But you're paying for all of this," she gestured to the table, were it seemed that he'd ordered every sweet thing on the menu, "-and no more spying on me!"

He laughed at her. She scowled at him. There was something of fondness in both expressions. The tension between them lessened dramatically. Sarah began to eye some of the deserts.

"Come now, it's for your safety. The goblins would be so disappointed if I allowed you to get hit by a bus, or something of the like." he said, recapturing her attention.

Sarah's practical side took over against her will. "What are you going to tell them when I do die one day?" curious green eyes peered into cryptic blue. "I know you're ancient and immortal and all, but I'm only human. I'm not going to be around for that long, at least not relative to you."

Jareth opened his mouth to speak, but Sarah continued, "You know sometimes I think you didn't actually plan any of this at all; just acted on a whim. And what _are _you exactly, anyway?" The goblins had been able to tell her that 'King was older than hairspray,' but trifling details such as species or origin had escaped their interest.

Jareth ignored that last bit, amused eyes showing that he knew something she didn't, and was pleased to keep it that way.

"We'll jump that bridge when we come to it. And you were no whim, precious thing." he reached for her hand before she could react, taking it in his gloved one and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Then, preening smugly at the flustered look on her face, he pushed a piece of chocolate cake towards her, gesturing that she should eat.

Finding herself uncharacteristically speechless, she did.

They enjoyed their meal in silence. It wasn't until much later that Sarah got the cake reference.

Jareth put down his fork when he saw that she was done and gave her a charming grin. "Ready to go?"

Sarah, thoroughly softened by chocolate and kisses and sweet talk, forgot to argue. "Back to the Underground?"

"No, it's winter there now. I'll bring you back in the spring. I thought Paris might be a good place to talk. I'll have you back here by tomorrow."

"Paris!" Sarah exclaimed, staring at him like he had two heads.

He furrowed his brows. "Are you displeased?'

"Are you kidding! I've only wanted to go to Paris for, like, forever!" she gushed.

"Well, then, let's be off." he held out a gloved hand to her.

Entirely forgetting that she was had resolved not to encourage him, Sarah grabbed her bag and reached for his hand excitedly, only to pull back as a sobering thought came to mind.

"Um, Jareth, where _is_ the guy who was supposed to meet me here?" she hoped, she _prayed _ that he hadn't done anything villainous. Not when they were finally starting to get along.

His eyes twinkled merrily. "I was wondering if you would remember that. Look at the date, love." He pushed the folded newspaper towards her.

Sarah looked. It showed yesterday's date.

"This is today's paper, isn't it?" she asked.

He nodded.

"You reordered time, didn't you?"

"As soon as you sat down. I have not interfered in your affairs." he held out his hand again, and this time she took it without hesitation. They disappeared in a puff of glitter, leaving a pile of sparkly dishes and several large gold coins for the confused waitress to find.

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**Author's notes:**

**So, will the Goblin King make the best of his hijacked date and woo the queen in a way she is receptive to? Or will he screw it up and then ****glower ominously while she prances about with pre-law students? And what the heck is up with the weather? Find out next time on SASL!**

**Next chapter will be up by the end of the month (I might be lying, life is crazy, but that's what I'm aiming for)**

**This chapter was not inspired by anything, except perhaps a reasonable quantity of an aforementioned beverage, and a possibly unreasonable dislike for Mary Kay parties. **

**Please review, all comments are welcome and appreciated. **


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